Workers Solidarity Movement

Thursday 24th April 8pm Lower Deck, Dublin

The Grassroots Gatherings are open get-togethers for people who want to transform Irish society and the world in radical ways – 'grassroots' ways, in their focus on real democracy, and bottom-up methods. Reclaiming the streets, building social centres, resisting war, environmental destruction and EU neoliberalism, since 2001 the network around the Grassroots Gatherings has taken part in the global uprising against an equally global capitalism gone out of control. Check out

http://www.wsm.ie/story/2799

Appoximately 5,000 people turned out for the “March for a Decent Public Health Service” held on Saturday, 29th March in Dublin. Various Trade Unions, patients groups from around the country and political organisations were represented.

The March-April 2008 issue of the Irish anarchist paper Workers Solidarity.  This is Issue 102

26 county edition

The Ulster edition of Workers Solidarity 102
http://www.wsm.ie/attachments/apr2008/ws102.pdf

The southern edition of Workers Solidarity 102
http://www.wsm.ie/attachments/apr2008/ws10226.pdf

Last year, the EU Constitution was defeated in referenda in France and the Netherlands. Europe’s governments quickly got together and rewrote the constitution as an incredibly complicated list of amendments to existing treaties. Together these amendments make up the “Treaty of Lisbon.” Valery Giscard d’Estaing, the president of the Convention on the Future of Europe which did much of the ground work in drafting the constitution, has concluded that “the difference between the original Constitution and the present Lisbon Treaty is one of approach, rather than content”.

The Dublin Anarchist Bookfair – held this year on the weekend of 14th and 15th March – has firmly established itself as the biggest and most exciting event on the political left in Ireland.

Every year we celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8th. This goes back to 1910, when an international conference of socialist women decided that 'women the world over set aside a particular day each year to remember women and their struggles.'

For decades they sold the concept of ‘freedom’ and talked about a ‘socialist republic’ but now, with Martin McGuinness chuckling around the world with Ian Paisley, it’s clear that Sinn Fein’s concept of ‘freedom’ and their supposed vision of a ‘32-County Socialist Republic’ was at best an illusion.

Chairman of Louth County Council Cllr Jimmy Mulroy, speaking in a debate about the abuse of workers by some employment agencies, said that while Irish people, "need €12.50 an hour, people from Lithuania are doing very well on €8.50 an hour." Mulroy, the owner of an electrical firm, later defended his remarks, arguing that many migrant workers were "very happy” with lower pay. Fianna Fail head office “disassociated” the party from the councillor's comments, but there was no suggestion of him being disciplined or deselected as a candidate.

The tragedies, the mistakes and the disputes roll on. Mary Harney and the HSE merrily proceed with their agenda of privatisation. They continue to run down the public health service while creating opportunities for profit-driven healthcare, business opportunities for their already rich friends. They ignore the misery and anger of patients and health workers while trying to divert our attention from the real causes of the problems in Irish healthcare.

MFebruary saw many of the newer members meet up at a day long session for discussions about anarchist ideas, why we talk about class, how we fight women’s oppression, anarchist organisation, anarchist history, the Spanish Revolution, Russia: revolution and counter revolution and practical organising in our unions & communities.